Sugared Shortbread Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Cynthia

I adore this recipe and have made it many times. I make my own rice flour by whizzing white rice in a Magic Bullet. I can't get it uniformly powdery, which is a good thing: I love the tiny bits of raw rice in the finished shortbread. They lend an irresistible crunchy texture. The other bonus to this recipe is how ridiculously easy it is. Be sure to slice the shortbread while it is warm. If you wait until it cools, you'll have a pile of shattered shards, albeit a delicious pile.

RLIZA

Easy and simple, delish. Next time, I'll rub some lemon zest with the sugar before mixing it in the flour for some fresh lemon flavor (a Dorrie Greenspan baking process I've tried).

Patsy

I can't stop making these. Is there a 12 step program to to help me with this? These are fantastic!

Nick

Great recipe. Call me crazy, but I'm certain the flavor and texture improved after I let the finished shortbread fingers sit in a sealed container overnight.

HK

Given that this recipe already calls for melted butter, I made this using Kate Zuckerman's method of browning butter with a vanilla bean (e.g. https://www.cookstr.com/recipes/whipped-brown-butter-and-vanilla-birthda.... It was spectacular.

Megs

Used fine almond flour instead of rice flour, and was delicious.Noticed description states sugar on top and bottom of cookie - should we also sprinkle pan before pressing dough?

lynn liccardo

easy to scale down (knew i couldn't trust myself with the whole thing:).

added a slug of vanilla extract to 1/2 recipe and baked in my 8-inch cast iron skillet for 25 minutes @ 350-degrees. perfect.

next time, i'm going to try it with a salted, cultured butter (see melissa's cultured butter cookies), and maybe sub turbinado sugar for granulated.

Linda

This is the easiest and best shortbread recipe I’ve tried. I don’t change a thing. I use parchment, lift it out of the pan immediately and then slice before they cool. I roll each piece in sugar while still hot and it sticks very well.

Dianne

I'm going to guess no, you were right not to add tahini on this occasion. And also yes, you should've gone ahead and bought rice flour. After a lot of delicious research I can tell you my favourite shortbread contains 100 percent rice flour. And butter and sugar. That's it.

John

Orange zest works also, and with the orange if you cut the finished shortbread into sticks, you can dip one end in dark chocolate, or just drizzle dark chocolate over the whole sheet

Donna

This is delicious and addictive as some have said. I added cardamom to the last batch and it was very good. I had a bit of lemon curd leftover so substituted for some of the butter and that was good as well.

Pudovkin

The original recipe (available on Amy Casey's web site) specifies a quarter cup, so I would go with that.

CraigR

I took lynn ricardo's suggestion and added a slug of vanilla. Wonderful. Will definitely be a regular for me.

Pamela

Very easy to make and good taste and texture. I buttered the dish instead of using parchment paper and had no issues with sticking. I added a half teaspoon of vanilla and some extra sugar to the mix. I sprinkled mine with sugar and sliced almost immediately after taking out of the oven, and transferred to another dish to cool. Lost some sugar in the process so resprinkled again. I guess the comment about sugar on the bottom of the cookies will be one of life's unsolved mysteries.

missn

First comment on a NYT recipe: prepared recipe as directed - delicious and ever so easy to make. Yum!

missn

First comment on a NYT recipe: prepared recipe as directed - delicious and ever so easy to make. Yum!

Meezon Plass

Amazing easy recipe. I've made it with plain melted butter and with brown butter, both incredibly delicious. It' amazing how much the flavor and texture improve the next day.

Vicki

Very dry

ruby delicious

Don’t melt the butter, or else cool it completely

ilovevt

Oh yum! A perfect recipe and so easy. Rave reviews and they kept beautifully.

ilovevt

Meant to add that I used almond flour instead of rice flour and added a hint of almond extract. Absolutely delicious.

shore cook

Try using cultured butter, it makes a difference in the flavor. I also added lemon zest and vanilla extract as others suggested, it was delicious!

flo

I think this is the best recipe I cut it in round shape, slightly thinner and this my view of what a perfect sugar cookie is. Forget the other sugar cookie with icing, which compared to this is like mini purgatory !! this is THE sugar cookie for ever. Best recipe, tons of thanks !!!!!

MarciaF

Can I cut the dough with cookie cutters and bake on parchment on cookie sheets, rather than baking in a pan and then cutting into bars?

MJ

I don't see why not.

Linda

This is the easiest and best shortbread recipe I’ve tried. I don’t change a thing. I use parchment, lift it out of the pan immediately and then slice before they cool. I roll each piece in sugar while still hot and it sticks very well.

Miranda

This recipe, as is, is my absolute favorite for an easy cookie/treat. If you want a stronger flavor, you can also add 1.5 tsp of almond extract, which is equally delicious

As a lavender farmer...

Added 1 tablespoon of ground lavender buds is a MUST otherwise as noted it is too bland. Increase sugar to 1/3 of a cup. Added ground lavender - only 1 teaspoon to the sugar before sprinkling on the top of the still warm shortbread. Delicious!!

josee

Made as written with the following flavorings: 1tbsp of culinary lavender seeds and 1tbsp of dried lemon peel, crushed together with mortar to release more aromas. Also stirred some of this in the sugar topping. Best shortbread I have ever had. Looking forward to experiencing with different flavorings.

josee

I made this as written and added culinary lavender and minced lemon peel for flavor. Will never try another shortbread recipe. It came out looking professional with divine taste and texture. I may experience with other flavorings.

Mary

Delicious! I baked 30 minutes and it was too long. Next time, I will check after 25 minutes. I added approximately a teaspoon of vanilla after reading reviews.

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Sugared Shortbread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making good shortbread? ›

Tips To Make the Best Shortbread Cookies
  • Choose High Quality Butter. No matter what brand of butter you buy, if it's real butter, you can rest assured that it's the best. ...
  • Keep Ingredients Simple. ...
  • Add Flavor. ...
  • Don't Overwork. ...
  • Shape Dough. ...
  • Chill Before Baking. ...
  • Bake Until Golden. ...
  • Add Finishing Touches.

What are common mistakes when making shortbread? ›

The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be.

What happens if you add too much butter to shortbread cookies? ›

Butter is an emulsifier and it makes cookies tender. It also adds in the crispy-around-the-edges element. Adding too much butter can cause the cookies to be flat and greasy. Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly.

How to know when shortbread cookies are done? ›

Bake the shortbread until it's a light golden brown across the top surface and a deeper golden brown around the edges, about 35 minutes. Remove the shortbread from the oven and turn it out of the pans and onto a clean work surface.

Is powdered sugar or granulated sugar better for shortbread? ›

Takeaway: look for recipes that use granulated sugar for a more crisp-style shortbread and powdered sugar for a more tender shortbread!

What is the difference between shortbread and Scottish shortbread? ›

Traditional Scottish shortbread is a simple recipe made with sugar, butter, flour, and salt. Other shortbread styles will include leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda, which makes them crisp instead of crumbly like traditional Scottish shortbread.

What happens if you don't chill shortbread? ›

Chilling the dough before baking will help the shortbread keep their shape while cooking. In the oven, the dough will spread as the butter in the mixture melts, but baking it from chilled helps reduce this effect. It's most important to do this if you are baking the shortbread in individual biscuits.

Why poke holes in shortbread? ›

The word "bread" comes from "biscuit bread" which was made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and dried out in the oven to make biscuits. Why do you poke holes in shortbread? The holes allow the moisture to escape during baking and more even heat distribution. This helps dry out and crisp up the cookies.

Should butter be cold when making shortbread? ›

Should butter be cold or room temperature for making shortbread? Always start with cold butter straight from the refrigerator. This will keep the dough from warming up, making it greasy and difficult to roll out.

Why did my shortbread fail? ›

There are a variety of reasons why the shortbread could be damp underneath but it is most likely that either the dough is being pressed out too thickly, the pan is not metal so heats up too slowly, or the oven temperature is too high causing the top to brown before the bottom has cooked sufficiently.

Why use unsalted butter in shortbread? ›

Use unsalted butter for balanced flavour. Unsalted butter was traditionally used in baking because it was a superior product to salted - salt is used as a preservative so unsalted butter was thought to be fresher.

Why do you put shortbread in the fridge before baking? ›

Why do you put shortbread cut-out cookies in the fridge before baking? This is to resolidify the butter. The butter is at room temperature when making the dough resulting in a soft dough. If baked straight away, the butter would melt away immediately when hitting the hot oven and the shortbread would spread.

Why is my shortbread soft in the middle? ›

If it's still soft, doughy or malleable/pliable, it's undercooked. If it starts turning brown, it's overcooked and will be hard to eat. If it's brown or dark brown, bin it and start over.

Why add cornstarch to shortbread cookies? ›

Cornstarch provides the shortbread with structure, but its biggest job is keeping the cookies extra soft, tender, and light. I love adding a small amount to chocolate chip cookies too. Optional Coarse Sugar Topping: For an optional sparkly crunch on your shortbread wedges, add a sprinkle of coarse sugar before baking.

What happens if you overwork shortbread? ›

The high butter (or shortening ) content helps to keep the gluten in the flour short and soft. But, for that delectable, friable texture, it's also important to keep a light hand. Overworking the mixture will make the dough oily; it will also develop the gluten in the flour and make the shortbread tough.

Should you chill shortbread dough before rolling? ›

Chilling the dough before baking will help the shortbread keep their shape while cooking. In the oven, the dough will spread as the butter in the mixture melts, but baking it from chilled helps reduce this effect. It's most important to do this if you are baking the shortbread in individual biscuits.

Why chill shortbread dough before baking? ›

And once you have cut out or shaped your dough make sure you chill it for at least 30 minutes before baking so that the butter can re-solidify before reaching the heat of the oven.

How do you keep shortbread from falling apart? ›

Start with a teaspoon of fat and mix your dough well. If the dough is still falling apart, you can keep adding more in small increments. And at the end of the day, you can always add a little bit of water as well if your shortbread still hasn't formed a cohesive dough.

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